Distorted Avatar Reality 17: Southern Air Temple
by donki-shouben
Summary: Bsed on Ogro's Distorted Reality! Aang, Azula and Zuko travel to the Southern Air Temple, but they won't like what they find in a horrific re-imagining of Season 1's 17th episode! With moon rocks, Shangri-La, gender bending and Frankenstein's monster!


**Author's Note: This is based on Ogro's Avatar AU, "Distorted Reality", wherein Aang the Avatar finds himself in a twisted version of his world. In a bid to save it, Aang travels this strange new world with two unexpected allies - Zuko and Azula of the weakened Fire Nation. One man obsessively hunts the Avatar - Prince Sokka of the Water Empire!**

Chapter 17: The Southern Air Temple

By Shawn Evans

Avatar: The Last Airbender and related characters copyright Nickelodeon

_100 years ago..._

_Fire Lord Sozin gazed up at the sky._

_His astrologers assured him a comet was coming that would empower his nation's forces and make possible his dream of leading the world to a new golden age._

_With the naked eye, he spotted the shooting star that was his comet._

_Sozin's Comet!_

_All around him, his soldiers trembled in anticipation. The Fire Lord had assembled the army in preparation for the comet's arrival. As soon as it lit up the sky, the attack on the hated airbenders would begin!_

_However..._

_The comet never made it to Earth._

_Instead, it..._

_...slammed into the moon!_

_As the celestial object impacted into the lunar surface, gouging a massive crater in its midsection and kicking up a continent-sized cloud of dust, the Fire Lord's dreams met a similar fate._

_"No! __**No!!**__" he cried._

ooooooooooooooo

_20 years ago..._

_The small group trudged through the Antarctic snow._

_Through icefalls and avalanches, the near-frozen Earth Kingdom explorers slowly made their way to their goal._

_Finally, the mercenary Water Empire guide leading them motioned to stop. They were there._

_He pointed down. _

_The leader of the expedition gasped._

_After years of searching, he had finally found the objects he theorized could change the world._

_Moon rocks!_

ooooooooooooooo

Present day...

"What's with this storm??" Zuko screamed, barely able to hear himself above the din of thunder and wind.

"I don't know!!" Aang shouted. "It's been constant for over an hour! Appa should have flown out of it by now!!"

The sky bison and its riders - Aang, Zuko and Azula - feebly tried to protect themselves from the pelting rain by covering their heads with their arms, but the storm-tossed drops still stung!

The three feared even the majestic Appa could not last much longer in this hellish maelstrom.

Down below, on the deck of a curiously much calmer Water Empire Navy ship, Prince Sokka spied on the hapless trio with a telescope. What he saw pleased him, and a cruel smile formed at his lips.

"Your plan is working, sire!" an aide declared. "To use a group of master water benders to re-direct the rain at the Avatar's sky bison is genius!"

"Of course it is!!" Sokka snapped. "I thought of it, didn't I?" added the proud Water royal, unable to acknowledge a compliment from a low-ranking servant.

Lifting the telescope to his eye again, Sokka said "It shouldn't be long now..."

Then he saw something he didn't expect.

"What the??" he blurted.

Up above, Aang saw it too.

Nearby, a huge whirlwind, larger than any he had ever heard of, formed almost instantly out of the tempestuous atmosphere.

Unable to avoid it, Appa and his riders were swept away, far from the sight of the pursuing Prince!

ooooooooooooooo

Day broke hard and bright to the Avatar's eyes.

"Unhhh...Where am I?" Aang mumbled.

Looking around, the mountains seemed familiar.

But a moan behind him ended any recollections.

"Zuko? Are you okay??" Aang whipped around and anxiously inquired of the boy in Appa's saddle.

"Yeah..." Zuko replied. "...Except for the fur in my mouth! Pfft!" he spat.

"What about Azula??" Aang asked of their fellow passenger.

"She's..." Zuko began.

"I'm up." Azula, though still flat on her back, calmly uttered.

"Good!" Aang cheered, and then jumped off the air bison.

"How are you, boy??" Aang nervously said.

The great sky beast roared his good health and well-being.

"Great!!" Aang smiled.

"I don't suppose anyone knows what happened, or where we are?" Azula quickly got to the point. "This doesn't look like the Fire Nation." said the girl who, like the others, were on the way to the Golden City, the last free area in the whole Fire Nation, where she and Aang hoped to find a master fire bender, before they were waylaid by the despised Prince Sokka.

"We're..." Aang looked around. _It couldn't be! _he thought.

Taking to the sky, Aang led Appa on a familiar route.

"I don't suppose you care to fill us in on where we are?" said Azula, sounding very annoyed.

"It doesn't seem possible that the storm could throw us so far off course." Aang commented. "But I know these mountains!" he exclaimed.

Rounding a peak, Aang indicated the structure in the distance. "And there it is! The Southern Air Temple!! Where I grew up!"

Circling the ancient temple, Aang was very surprised to see people living there!

Landing, Aang and Co. were greeted by people who looked like Air Monks...but Aang could tell they weren't.

For one thing, there weren't any airbenders (because no one had airbender tattoos or bended any air). Plus, there were no sky bisons in the bison corral.

"Who are you people??" an upset Aang interrogated the leader of the delegation that came to meet him.

"Calm yourself, Avatar." the man in the Air Monk robes said. "All will be explained by our leader."

"You're the Avatar?" a young voice asked.

A familiar voice!

Turning, Aang saw who it was...

"T,Teo?" Aang croaked.

"Wow! You know who I am??" the impressed Teo exclaimed. "You Avatars sure have amazing powers!"

Aang was speechless.

But not because he was surprised to see his old friend from the Northern Air Temple.

No, it was because Teo was walking!

ooooooooooooooo

"Welcome to our humble community, Avatar!" the leader of the 'Air Monks' stated, greeting Aang with a firm handshake. "We're pleased you could grace our presence with a visit."

"Thank you, sir." Aang politely replied. He recognized the man as Teo's father. In the world where Aang was born, Teo's dad ran a refugee camp in the Northern Air Temple. So why, on this world, was he in the Southern Air Temple? And attired as an Air Nomad?? "I confess I am curious why anyone is living in the Southern Air Temple, since the Air Nomads were done away with 100 years ago!" he declared.

"Yes. That was a tragedy." the head man commiserated. "My people always admired the Air Nomad race, and after suffering greatly in the war, we made our way here and settled. Our village is dedicated to peace, and we do more than imitate the appearance of the Air Monks. Let me show you."

The man led Aang, Azula and Zuko on a tour of the Temple community.

"Here in the library, our scholars study the Air Nomads and their way of life, ensuring future generations will never forget them." he said, indicating a hall full of Air Monks examining and writing scrolls.

In another room, the leader of the Southern Air Temple's new band of 'Air Monks' gestured toward a group engrossed in creative endeavors. "And here, our people re-create the great art of the Air Nomads". As he spoke, some composed music, while others painted landscapes and nature scenes. Although one (probably a newcomer) made a self-portrait using noodles!

In the kitchen, male Air Monks baked delicious pies and cakes. "Here, our chefs use Air Nomad recipes to cook up the most delightful meals!" crowed the well-fed chief of the Air Nomad wannabes. Zuko noticed a particularly appealing cake, and longed to lick its frosting off his finger. But the chef whapped him before he could coat his digit in the creamy goodness.

Directing the tour outside, the head Monk pointed to squads playing airball using hand-cranked fans that blew air at a very light, paper ball. "While here, teams of Air Monks re-discover the many Air Nomad sports." But the 'airball' ran out of steam midway between the participants and fell to the ground. "Ah, using means meant only to approximate airbending, of course." he embarrassingly explained.

"But here", he added, beaming with pride, "is where we do our real work! The heart of our operation - the hospital!" he said as he opened a door and ushered Aang, Azula And Zuko into the medical wing of the Southern Temple.

And it was impressive! Bed after bed lined up against the walls, filled with patients either recuperating or in the process of being tended to by medical experts.

"I don't think I've ever seen such a large, well-run hospital!" Aang marveled. "But where did all these people come from??" Aang asked, reasoning so many of the Temple village residents couldn't be sick.

"They come from all over!" the man, hereafter known as the Medicalist, informed the Avatar. "We've been able to make stunning advances in medical science. Water benders aren't the only ones able to heal!" he bragged. Then he lifted up an odd rock from a surgical table. "And we've done it with this - moon rocks!"

ooooooooooooooo

Aang, Azula and Zuko walked the grounds with the Medicalist. Behind them, two Air Monks rotated a lever 'round and 'round, operating a lift that carried people and supplies up and down the mountain.

"This is all great, sir, but what about..." Aang struggled to voice his unease. "..the main temple? It was where my people would have sought refuge." Only an airbender could open its doors, and Aang dreaded what awaited inside - the skeletal remains of his friend and mentor, Monk Gyatso!

"Ah." The Medicalist paused, as if carefully considering his words. "I understand your distress, young Avatar. Know this: We did eventually gain access to the main temple, and you have nothing to worry about. We disposed of the remains we found there in the manner of the Air Nomads, with all honor and respect due them."

"Thank you, sir!" Aang was much relieved! "That removes a great weight from my shoulders."

"Would you like to see the air temple? Our workers have restored it to as it was 100 years ago." the Medicalist offered.

"That would be wonderful!" Aang readily agreed.

Too keyed up to wait for the Medicalist's aides to open the door to the temple, Aang blew air into the gate and opened it himself. Rushing into the great hall of the air temple, Aang stopped to admire the statues of previous Avatars, but particularly the one that possessed the Avatar spirit right before he did. "Avatar Roku?" he intoned.

But there was no answer.

"Why is he so special, Aang?" Azula asked.

"He's the Avatar that came before me." Aang blankly answered.

"Don't you mean Avatar Kuruk?" the sharp as a whip Azula pointed out.

Aang nearly slapped himself! On this world, Water came before Air, not Fire! So Avatar Kuruk of the Water Tribe was his most immediate past life!

"Er, yeah. Well, they're all my past lives, so they're all Avatars that came before me." Aang quickly covered himself.

Aang walked over to the statue of Avatar Kuruk. Then he looked at Roku's personification. But there was nothing. No reaction.

"Is there something wrong, sport?" the sensitive Zuko inquired of the young Air Monk.

"No. Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine." Aang lied. He had expected the statue's eyes to light up, as had happened on his world, or for one of his past lives to give him a message.

Something.

Anything!

The silence mocked Aang, and he couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. But what??

"That's it for the tour!" the Medicalist announced. "I'm sure you've had a rough journey here. Why don't you relax in our baths?" he suggested.

"Baths?!" Zuko asked, his eyes lit up. "With both kinds of water, hot and cold?"

"That's right!" the Medicalist confirmed.

"We are so there!" Zuko gleefully said.

ooooooooooooooo

"Wow, this is great, Aang!" Zuko exulted in the heated bath, as he sipped juice handed him by a fully-dressed female attendant. "This place is like Shangri-La!"

Both he and Aang were waited on hand and foot by 'Air Nuns' as they relaxed in the Southern Air Temple's baths.

"Yeah. It's too bad Azula couldn't be here. But they have other accommodations for females." Aang commented, as his feet, poking out of the pool, were being given a pedicure by a pair of Air Nun-attired attendants while two others worked their manicure magic on his fingernails.

Standing up, Zuko's naked form was quickly robed by the covered-up Nuns. "Thank you, ladies!" the 'Zukester' smiled at the girl Air Nomads, and one, her eyes peeking out of a head scarf, winked in response.

After Aang joined Zuko in an after-bath sit-down in the steam room to dry the pores, Zuko asked "Why couldn't Azula join us?? They have girls here!" he said, pointing to the Air Nun who replaced the heated rock in the steam room.

"Not in the Southern Air Temple where I grew up!" Aang replied. "And if they're following Air Nomad teaching here, these Air Nuns aren't women."

"What are you talking about??" Zuko scoffed at the idea. "Then why do they look like women?"

"Monk Gyatso told me about that." Aang recalled. "He said some men missed women so much they dressed like women. He called them 'gynoshi'."

"So...you mean..." Zuko's ears steamed more than the hot rock! "...Those were guys?! And they saw me naked??"

"Zuko..." Aang calmly began, as he tried to ease his friend's emotional distress. "...It's no big deal. I mean, I've seen you naked!"

"Then you're...one of them?!" Zuko worried.

"Zuko!!" Aang scolded.

"Okay. Right. It's fine. No big deal. Sure." the cool as a cucumber Zuko stated.

Then one of the 'Air Nuns', who earlier winked at Zuko, giggled and blew him a kiss, displaying 'her' now very prominent Adam's apple in the process!

"Ohhhhh!" Zuko moaned, and covered his face with his hands. "Why does everything always happen to me?!"

ooooooooooooooo

"So..." Azula grinned, as she stared at the boy. Azula found it didn't take much to make boys nervous. Plus, she liked making boys nervous! "...Teo, is it? What do you do for fun around here?"

"Errrr..." Teo stammered. "Um, aren't you supposed to be with the females?"

"Yes, but they're so dreadfully boring!" Azula complained. "Carpet weaving? Yuck!" she said, as she made a face.

"Well, uh, I raise air lemurs. That's kind of fun. I mean, they fly and all. You know." Teo nervously said, sweating up a storm being thisclose to the torrid teen firebender.

"Air lemurs? Not quite!" Azula rejected the idea, then looked around. She saw someone unlock the door to the main temple and enter it. "Later, Teo!" Azula waved goodbye and walked towards the air temple.

"Later? Sure!" Teo sputtered, thankful the strange girl was leaving.

Judging by the way Aang acted when he was in the temple, Azula thought there was something odd about it, and decided to investigate.

Besides, she was bored!

Sneaking into the hall of the air temple, Azula spied the furtive Monk slip into a back room. Following him, she descended a staircase that led to a candle-lit lab full of potions, the heavy odor of disinfectant, medical equipment...

...and someone strapped to a gurney!

Keeping to the shadows, Azula stayed hidden and quietly watched as the man took a few supplies from the cabinets and left.

Then, creeping silently towards the figure on the hospital bed, Azula believed she'd see a dead body.

But what she saw was far worse!

It was hideous, with scars all over its body, dark objects fused to its skin and sutures holding together parts that did not appear to belong to the same person!

Even weirder, it wore a Water Empire necklace!

Trembling, Azula reached out to touch it.

That's when the thing woke up.

And screamed!!

ooooooooooooooo

"So you see, my dad attached moon rocks to my legs and spine, and a few months later I could walk again!" Teo recounted the procedure that cured him to Aang and Zuko, and displayed where the lunar objects were placed on his body.

"Wow! That's amazing!" the happily astonished Aang said. "How does it work?"

"Dad said we use the power of the moon rocks, the same as water benders use the power of the moon, to connect with the chi, the energy in a person's body, and help repair it." Teo explained.

"So how are you boys enjoying our little village so far?" the Medicalist asked as he joined the conversation.

"Everything's wonderful, sir!" Aang smiled. "Teo was just telling us about your work with the moon rocks. You've created a miracle! My people would be very proud of what you've done with the place!" he congratulated the physician for his genius.

"Thank you, Avatar!" the Medicalist gratefully acknowledged the praise. "Your words do me great honor!"

"Yeah, this place is great!" Zuko parroted the general consensus. "When do we eat? I'm starving!" he added, quickly changing the subject to his stomach.

"Dinner will served shortly. We're having steamed vegetables." the Medicalist announced.

"Veggies? What, no meat??" Zuko pouted.

"Air Nomads don't eat meat, Zuko. Remember?" Aang helpfully reminded him.

"Remember when I said this place was Shangri-La? I'm downgrading it to plain 'ol utopia, so there!" Zuko, arms folded, spitefully countered.

"Well, we can't have that!" the Medicalist laughed. "I suppose we can give your friend tempura, Avatar."

"Tempura??" Zuko quizzed his companions.

"Deep-fried veggies!" Aang interpreted.

"Deep-fried? Oh, well, that's not so bad." Zuko said, his face brightening. "But I'm not giving this place 5 stars until it's easier to tell the dudes from the ladies!" he quipped.

Before he'd have to seek forgiveness for another Zuko gaffe, Aang changed the topic under discussion. "So, uh, can Azula join us for dinner? I know it's not very 'Air Nomad' of me, but she is a part of our group!"

"Since you're our guest, I imagine we can bend the rules just this once!" the Medicalist agreed to the request. "I'll send Teo to the ladies' area to fetch her."

"Um, except...She's not there." Teo bashfully informed them. "She said it was boring. The last I saw of her, she ran off in the direction of the temple!"

"I'm sorry, sir!" the embarrassed Avatar said. "We'll go and find her before she upsets any of your people!"

"Nonsense!" the Medicalist cheerily turned down Aang's offer. "You're our honored guest! I'll send my men to locate her and bring her to dinner! It'll be no trouble at all!"

"Thank you, sir." Aang replied, bowing. "You're most gracious and kind."

Then...

...an underground explosion rumbled the ground beneath their feet!

ooooooooooooooo

Running out of the air temple, smoke billowing behind her, Azula faced three very shocked and upset males: Aang, Zuko and the Medicalist!

"Azula!! What have you done?!" Aang yelled. He couldn't believe it! 'Zula had blown up the temple??

"Run!!" Azula screamed in terror. "It's right behind me! I tried using fire to burn him, but it just made him mad! Oh, and the fire kind of ignited whatever was down there, but it didn't stop him!!"

"What? What are you talking about??" Aang cried. _Was she losing it? _Aang wondered.

Then the creature that was once a man (or, rather, once was _many _men!) barreled out of the smoldering temple and jumped at Azula!

Moving quicker than the eye could follow, Aang sent a battering ram of air at the seven foot tall beast and toppled it!

"Azula! Run!!" Aang shouted. "I got him!"

But the patchwork man recovered quickly and was on the young Avatar in an instant!

Fearing what it's massive, stitched together muscles could do to him if it got ahold of him, Aang hopped out of its way!

Now that he had its attention, Aang formed an airscooter and rode it, leading the creature away from the villagers and his friends.

But the multi-part man used his speed to catch up the Avatar. He swatted at the airscooter with his mighty arms, dissipating it.

Aang fell to the ground, helpless, and the patchwork horror leapt at his prey!

Aang dodged his blow, and then another and another!

The Avatar tried to get away from the creature's fists, but it was almost as fast as he was!

Finally, Aang jumped over the beast, then wheeled 'round and let loose with his most powerful air blast!

The Frankenstein-like horror stood his ground in the raging whirlwind, so Aang increased the intensity!

The creature's foot slipped, and he was driven back, back, and then clear over the edge of the cliff!

"Oh no!" an upset Aang bleated. All life was precious to an Air Nomad, and he had just inadvertently killed!

Rushing to the cliff's edge, Aang saw the oddly-marked man was hanging onto a branch jutting out of the cliffside.

Reaching down, Aang implored "Hold on! I'll pull you up!"

But the branch gave way beneath the silent behemoth's weight, and it fell down the mountain!

Azula and Zuko, having finally caught up to Aang, cheered his success.

"Alright! You got it!" Zuko said. "But what was it??"

"It had a Water Empire necklace, but your friend the doctor was performing experiments on it!" the Fire Nation girl claimed.

"Azula!!" Aang berated his companion. "How dare you say such things? Especially after YOU trespassed in the Temple and set it on fire!!" the mega-upset Avatar shouted.

"Calm yourself, Avatar!" the Medicalist intoned. "The girl was only guilty of curiosity. Yes, she shouldn't have gone into the temple where we were keeping our prisoner, but it's my fault for putting him there! We used it because it was our most secure location, but it was a mistake, and I'm sorry!"

"That's alright, sir." Aang replied. "But why would the Empire send something like that to attack you?"

"We believe it's because they heard of the medical success we've had with the source of their power, which offends them, so they sent that goon to sow terror among our people! They're evil! We thought we had escaped the war, but the world is never that easy." he sighed.

"So why was it strapped to a hospital bed and surrounded by medical equipment? What were you doing to it??" the hot-tempered teen girl interrogated the Medicalist.

"That's enough, Azula!" Aang shouted her down "The doctor is an honorable man! He wouldn't do such things!"

"If you must know, _little girl_, we were tending to his wounds! Although I doubt that will satisfy the conspiracy theories people like you love to spread!" the irked Medicalist bitched. "I'm sorry, Avatar. I have a dinner to prepare! You're welcome to join us!!" he said, ice-coated words pouring out of his lips.

"Nice one, 'Zula!" Zuko railed. "There goes my tempura!!"

ooooooooooooooo

"Aang, you have to believe me!" Azula, quite uncharacteristic for her, begged the Avatar's forgiveness while they awaited the food servers. "There's something wrong with this place! Did you get a whiff of that thing?! It smelled like a boatload of rotting fish!"

"Stop it, Azula!" Aang cut her off. "We're lucky they don't kick us out after what you did! Now be quiet and enjoy your dinner. Your undeserved dinner!"

"That's our Azula, scaring away another boyfriend!" Zuko laughed. "Even a hideous freak wanted to get away from her so bad it fell off a cliff!"

"Ha ha, Zuko, you're so funny! Not!" his sister shot back, then silently fumed.

But Zuko had succeeded in what he intended with that remark - to stop the rancorous argument before the food arrived, so he could eat in peace.

ooooooooooooooo

After dinner, Zuko decided to do some investigating of his own. He believed Azula. Aang couldn't, because he was too close to the Southern Air Temple and wanted desperately to believe the new inhabitants were honorable. But Zuko smelled something was up, and it stank worse than that thing that fell off the cliff. Or men dressed as women. But that was a personal problem, and he had bigger fish to fry. Or people to search, to find out who they really were. Or...the comparison was getting really tortured. Best to snoop around and see what's up.

The Air Temple was heavily guarded (and by so-called 'peaceful' Air Monks, no less!), but Zuko figured the person to see was obviously the doc.

So the Fire Nation boy watched the Medicalist's quarters, and was only slightly surprised when the supposedly 'honorable' physician slipped out under cover of night and made his way to a storage shed in the rear of the Temple complex.

Zuko ducked when the Medicalist looked back. Then the doctor entered the shed.

_What could he be looking for at this time of night? _Zuko thought.

Sneaking up on the storage area, Zuko heard two voices talking!

"When will you deliver results, physician?!" an angry voice demanded.

"We've had...some setbacks. We'll need further subjects if you want me to unlock the secrets of immortality. It is not an easy assignment! Now where are my moon rocks??" a voice Zuko recognized as the Medicalist's said.

Zuko was so intent on listening in, he didn't notice the loose soil shift beneath his feet until it was too late!

Falling uncontrollably, Zuko's clumsy body slammed right into the door he was eavesdropping on and crashed into the storage shed!

"What is this??" the man the Medicalist conversed with barked. "A spy? You spy on me?!"

In the pale candlelight, Zuko recognized the man was a Water Empire general!

His own identity hidden in shadow, Zuko ran before he could be caught by the world-conquering nation!

ooooooooooooooo

The next day, Zuko frantically told Aang all he heard and saw.

"He was Water Empire, Aang! Your doctor friend is in cahoots with the enemy!!" Zuko insisted.

"That can't be!" the crestfallen Air Nomad Avatar responded. "Let me talk to him. There has to be an explanation for all this!"

Confronting the Medicalist, Aang's worst fears were confirmed.

"What do you want me to say, Avatar?" the Medicalist solemnly intoned. "That it's not true? If only...but the world is far too complicated for that." he sighed.

"So you conspired with the Water Empire?? Why? Why would you do such a thing?!" the upset Aang cried.

"For the very best of reasons, of course." the Medicalist dryly replied. "When I discovered the healing properties of moon rocks years ago, I naively thought I could use it to bring peace to the world."

Then he paused. His face contorted in pain. And he continued.

"But they wouldn't listen! The Empire attacked us, to seize the secrets of the rocks for themselves. We barely escaped with our lives!" the Medicalist related, tears forming in his eyes. "Teo's mother...didn't make it. Since that time, we've tried to live lives of peace while we continued our work in seclusion, here in the Southern Air Temple. But..."

"But you ran out of moon rocks, didn't you? So you went to the only source you had - the Water Empire!" detective Zuko deduced.

"Yes! Yes, we did!!" the angry Medicalist railed. "We had to! And in return, I did some...work for them on injured soldiers they brought to me that were going to die anyway. But none of that matters now!"

"So you...you created that _thing _out of body parts of men supplied by the Water Empire?!" Aang shouted, unable to believe the sheer horror of it all! "How could you? How could you, a doctor, show such disrespect to life and, and the dead, to re-animate it like that?! How could you dishonor all the teaching of the Air Nomads you claim to hold so dear??" Aang added, his voice cracking, his faith in humanity severely shaken.

"Some sacrifices must be made! But it doesn't matter now! The Empire thinks I'm plotting against them, and will probably attack us very soon!" the Medicalist revealed. "It's all over now. The dream is dead."

Suddenly, explosions rocked the air, followed by shouting and cries of pain!

The Water Empire invasion of the Southern Air Temple was on!

Before his very eyes, Aang saw villagers and 'Air Monks' desperately attempt to run to safety, only to be cut in two by Empire soldiers wielding waterwhips!

"**No!**" he cried. It was all too much for Aang, and he lost it!

His airbender tattoos glowed, and the Avatar State took hold of him!

"No. It's not over." Aang said in a booming, resonant voice while burning, freezing winds swirled around him. "You'll pay for your crimes to the living and the dead when I finish this!" he told the Medicalist, and then zoomed off to confront the invaders.

Azula and Zuko watched in awe as Avatar State Aang turned back the Water Empire's invasion all by himself!

First, he generated tornadic force winds to sweep away the snipers and warriors who were hacking away at the innocent villagers!

Then he corralled the cruel would-be conquerors in prisons of earth!

Avatar State Aang used the mountain itself to stop the ascent of the Empire's climbing machines!

Finally, he created a cyclone so large, and so powerful, it carried the invaders far, far away, depositing them in their element, water, the Antarctic sea itself, a hundred miles away!

But one invader remained.

The re-animated man-monster!

He jumped on Aang's back and pummeled the Avatar mercilessly.

Knocked to the ground due more to the shock of the assault than any pain, Avatar State Aang recovered quickly and wrapped his inhuman attacker in unbreakable bonds of stone.

Then the glowing sum of all previous Avatars stood there, and considered its fate.

"Kill it, Aang!" Azula yelled. "It's an abomination!"

"She's right!" Zuko echoed the tough assessment. "It shouldn't exist! Put it out of its misery!"

"No. No, I can't." Avatar State Aang humbly replied. Then his glowing, swirling energized form faded away, leaving a very young, confused boy behind. "All life is precious. Even his! I can't take it!"

With a roar, the beast broke free and ran at the only hope for peace in the world!

Though shocked, Aang managed to step out of its way and called up a wind that sent the patchwork, living dead thing into a crevasse.

The three peered down into the darkness. The creature was trapped in the narrow passageway!

"What now, Aang?" Zuko coldly asked. "It'll get free eventually, and then what??" he challenged him.

"I, I don't know, Zuko! I never said I have all the answers!!" Aang impotently cried.

"Azula..." Zuko directed his sister. "If that thing's made of dead flesh, it's giving off methane. So throw some fire down there!"

"Okay, but I don't know what that will do!" Azula complained. "I already told you fire doesn't stop it!"

"Just do it!" Zuko ordered.

Azula had rarely heard her brother sound so forceful. It was a refreshing change!

But Aang had figured out Zuko's plan!

"No! Stop...!" he uttered.

But Aang was too late!

Azula's fireball impacted on the Frankenstein horror, igniting the explosive gas that filled the fissure!

The resulting blast blew the side off of the mountain, sending the thing thousands of feet to its doom for sure! This time, there was no mountain under it to break its fall. This side of the mountain jutted out into empty space!

"But, but why?" Aang feebly asked.

"It had to be done, Aang!" Zuko coolly told him. "That's why you keep us around, remember? To do the things you can't! You're the Avatar! You have to be better than that. But we don't have a problem with doing your dirty work, do we, 'Zula?" he asked his sister.

She shook her head no, but Aang was confused. "But...I don't think that's why I keep you around...is it?" Aang wondered, his mind awash in conflicting thoughts and memories.

Seeking to escape the uncomfortable feelings as well as the place that spawned them, a weary Aang gasped "Let's get out of here."

As the trio hopped on Appa and prepared to leave, a scene played out before them.

"Is it true, father?" Teo asked the Medicalist, hoping beyond hope it wasn't! "Did you cut a deal with the Water Empire to provide these 'cures'?"

"Yes, Teo. But I did it for you." the teary-eyed Medicalist rationalized. "I did it for all of you!" he pleaded.

But the people turned away from him.

Teo plucked the moon rock that had healed him off of his body. His legs reacted by uselessly folding under him. He was a cripple again.

As he was helped off of the mountain by two medical aides, Teo was followed by many others.

The peaceful 'Air Nomad' community of the Southern Air Temple was no more. Their principles had been abandoned by their leader, and now they were abandoning him.

"Son, wait!" the Medicalist begged. "Where will you go??"

"To find our own way." Teo answered. "Maybe find my mother. You didn't tell me the truth of her fate, either, did you?"

"Son, I...I did what I had to. Out of love! For you!" the Medicalist cried. "You have to believe me!"

"Goodbye, father." Teo replied, his heart breaking.

Then he was gone.

"**You!!**" the Medicalist raged at the Avatar! "You did this! You brought the war to us and destroyed our community!!"

Aang resolutely ignored the distraught doctor and took Appa's reins in hand, but Azula answered the emotionally-crazed physician.

"You stupid fool!" the abrasively honest girl replied. "You were only hiding from the war! It would have found you eventually! Aang's the only hope for ending the war! You should get on your knees and thank the Spirits he was sent to us!!"

"A little harsh, 'Zula, don't you think?" commented Zuko as Appa heeded Aang's 'Yip! Yip!' and rose into the southern sky.

"I'm only telling the truth!" Azula defended her rough comments.

"I suppose, but..." Zuko sighed. He had his own truth to relate. "You know, Aang, no offense, and don't take this the wrong way, but with veggie food, girls separated from boys, guys dressed as girls, and impossible to play sports, your home really sucks!"

"Yeah." Aang grimly responded, without a trace of joy, or even any sarcasm, as Appa bore his three young charges onto their next adventure. "I know."

Epilogue

Far below the mountain, a squadron of Water Empire soldiers dug through the rubble.

Finally, they finished their excavation of the impact site and found what they were looking for.

"Is it here?" the Water Empire general anxiously inquired. "Is it okay?"

"Yes!" the lead soldier digging the hole enthusiastically stated. "And he's alive!!"

"Excellent!" the general exclaimed, while his workers secured the injured, but still ticking, collection of moon rock-infused, stitched-together, reanimated body parts to a harness and pulled him out of the hole. "Once we unlock the secret of the patchwork man, our forces will be immortal! Then no one will be able to stop the Water Empire from ruling the world! Not even the Avatar!!" he crowed.

Notes on the Making of 'The Southern Air Temple'

I wrote this as an example of the possibilities available to anyone writing a story, even those fictions based on other works and seemingly constrained.

This story is based on Ogro's alternate universe Avatar series _Distorted Reality. _As with any series, when writing an episode two things should be the goal: Include elements that advance the main storyline while crafting a tale that can stand by itself.

The main storyline is furthered here by introducing a villain who can appear down the line in the series, by deepening the relationships between the protagonists (here hinting that Aang could have motives other than expediency or friendship for letting Azula and Zuko tag along on his trip) and by offering an explanation why this world is so unlike Aang's own. These facets can be referred to later or not, depending on the whim of the writer, but incorporating past events makes for a richer story and a more satisfying read.

If there are any concerns that specific details affect future chapters, it should be possible, using a bit of creativity, to explain away any differences. It's not an insurmountable problem.

In general, good storytelling often demands you throw the reader into the action, so 'The Southern Air Temple' begins with Aang, Azula and Zuko being chased by their nemesis, Prince Sokka (and in an original way, to boot!) Then our heroes find themselves in a mystery.

The setting comes from applying the rules of the series. _Distorted Reality _takes the Avatarverse we know and gives it a big tweak, changing many things around.

Therefore, 'The Southern Air Temple' is based on Episode 17 of Season 1, 'The Northern Air Temple' (Episode 3, 'The Southern Air Temple', was already supplanted by 'The Western Air Temple'. Yes, it can get confusing) and includes parts of both.

The Southern Air Temple is where Aang grew up, so the chapter carries greater emotional weight than if it were based anywhere else.

Like in 'The Northern Air Temple', Aang discovers a refugee group has settled in the abandoned Air Nomad home. But unlike that Avatar episode, the settlers honor and respect the original inhabitants. They don't destroy the temple to construct baths, for one thing (they already have baths, leading to a very funny scene). So whereas in TNAT Aang was upset with the settlers, here Aang is welcomed to a place that was very much like home. Better than home, as this utopia has miracles, making it like the movie _Lost Horizon. _But then the tone shifts to something more like _The Island of Dr. Moreau _as Aang, just like in the original ep, discovers a dark secret that leads to conflict with the main antagonists, here played by the Water Empire. The finale of the fight echoes the original, as the battle ends with an explosion by Sokka's _Distorted _stand-in, Zuko. Aang's Avatar State is also brought into play, recalling both the original 'Southern Air Temple' and 'The Siege of the North'.

As for the creature, well, turn the refugee leader from a man of machines to a man of medicine, then take the Air Nomads' reverence for life and pervert it, and you have Frankenstein's monster. So, in the _Distorted _world, the secret weapon is the reanimated patchwork man, replacing the War Balloon.

This world is much different than the one Aang knew. Thus, events do not end quite so happily for our hero. "You can't go home again", indeed.

And that is how you can create an original story using a premise (such as _Distorted_) as a starting point, and incorporate not only aspects of the original series but also themes inspired by other works.


End file.
